hello I have a question, my niece just now mentioned that she had been seeing a light in her room and that this light kept her company, and helped her in school and stuff. Then the day after her bday she stopped being this light and now she sees shadows that tell her to harm her self and some family members (grandma because she put a protection bracelet and necklace) it's been two days back to back that she sees black shadows. What could this mean? She is 11 years old.

I agree with the ‘take her to a doctor’ part, but I strongly disagree with the ‘it could be nothing to worry about’ part of the above advice. Anytime a child mentions committing acts of violence, particularly to themselves, it should be taken seriously.

My concern comes from a few details. For one thing, it is not common for an 11 year old to have an imaginary friend. They usually occur in the 4-7 year age bracket. The other thing is that this sounds very much like a child reaching out for help. Maybe she’s just lonely or depressed, maybe it’s some more serious emotional issue… but if my nephew came up to me, talking about hurting himself, I would definitely move that concern to the top of my list.

In terms of advice? Aside from ensuring she sees a family doctor, both her parent(s) and you want to make sure this girl knows she can talk to you openly and without fear. And to the doctor, as well. This isn’t about ego; let her choose who she is comfortable talking to. And, obviously, take her seriously and listen with patience and understanding.

As to the possibility of some kind of shadow creature being involved? I’m not entirely certain I believe in them… but if they do exist, they’re also extremely rare. Otherwise, everyone would believe in them. It also defies logic. Why would some paranormal being show itself as a ball of light and befriend her, only to turn into something dark and try to convince her to hurt herself? She would be much more trusting if it simply remained a ball of light.

What you describe very much sounds like a child trying to express emotions she doesn’t quite understand or trying to say something she might be afraid to state outright. That is not a reason to panic or worry. It is, however, something that needs to be addressed… before it becomes something to cause panic or worry.